AFP arrest two alleged Anonymous members

Australian Federal Police have arrested two men for their alleged involvement in a hacking campaign targeting Australian and international websites.

The AFP said the arrests were the result of a long-term investigation, and the two suspects claimed to have been involved in notorious online activist group Anonymous.

Alleged members of Anonymous have since 2012 been targeting a number of Australian environment and corporate networks with DDoS campaigns, as well as hacks involving the theft of personal data and defacements of websites.

The two suspects arrested in connection with this campaign are a 40-year-old male from Scarborough, Western Australia, and an 18-year-old man from Penrith, NSW.

The older suspect has been charged with unauthorised modification of Melbourne IT’s internal computer network and Indonesian government web servers.

The younger man has been charged with unauthorised modification of data to the ACT-based Netspeed ISP, as well as authorised access and modification of data belonging to the ACT Long Service Leave Board.

Police allege that the two men were known to each other online. The suspects were arrested following the execution of search warrants. A number of hard drives were seized during the search.

AFP National Manager for High Tech Crime Operations Tim Morris said hacking attacks are “not harmless fun ... The impairment or disruption of communications to or from computer networks is a criminal act and can have serious consequences.”

Image courtesy of Victor under CC